Meta launched Muse Image on Tuesday. The new tool lets users generate original images, edit photos, and create custom ads inside its apps.
A specific capability has sparked immediate backlash. The feature scans public Instagram profiles. If a user’s account is public, anyone can tag that profile and use its images to train or power an AI-generated creation. Private accounts and profiles belonging to users under 18 are automatically excluded.
Consent is the primary issue. Users do not know if strangers are incorporating their photos into new images. There is no notification when someone reuses public content. Making it simple to manipulate people’s images creates risks for misuse, harassment, impersonation, and non-consensual editing.
Here is how to stop the feature from using your content:
How to opt out of Meta’s Muse Image generator
- Go to your profile and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
- Select “Sharing and reuse.”
- Find the option “Allow people to create with and reuse your content.”
- Toggle it off for both posts and reels.
Muse Image arrives as AI tools become more common on social media. Companies rush to add generative features, yet experts argue for stronger privacy protections and transparency. Users must understand how their photos and data are used.
Skepticism about AI is already high. A Pew Research Center survey found 35% of respondents are more concerned than excited about the growing use of artificial intelligence.
Meta’s history with user privacy has added to the doubt surrounding this new feature.
In 2019, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission imposed a $5 billion fine against Facebook. The regulator concluded the platform violated a 2012 consent order by misleading users about control over their personal information. This followed a scandal where Cambridge Analytica accessed data from up to 87 million Facebook users via a personality quiz app. Facebook policies at the time allowed developers to collect information about users’ friends without knowledge or explicit consent.
